Search South Florida Reception Center Inmate Records

South Florida Reception Center Overview

South Florida Reception Center is operated by the Florida Department of Corrections and functions as one of three male reception centers in the FDC system. The facility sits at 14000 NW 41st Street in Doral, Florida, within Miami-Dade County. A South Unit is located at 13910 NW 41st Street, also in Doral. Both units are FDC state facilities, not county jail facilities, and they hold sentenced male inmates rather than people awaiting trial on county charges.

The facility's core role is to receive newly sentenced male prisoners transferred from county jails after a court has imposed a state prison sentence. Staff conduct medical and psychological evaluations, review criminal history, assess risk, and assign an appropriate security level and permanent housing location within the FDC system. The center can handle medical and psychological grades one through five, making it capable of processing inmates with significant health needs. The South Unit was historically designated an elderly offender facility, primarily housing inmates age 59 and older, according to the 2015 PREA audit. Current inmate demographics for the South Unit are described in general terms because a separate current population figure for that unit was not located in accessible official sources as of the 2025 PREA audit period.

Because South Florida Reception Center sits in Doral near the NW 41st Street corridor where several Miami-Dade county jail facilities also operate, families of newly sentenced individuals sometimes travel to MDCR locations looking for someone who has already transferred to FDC state custody. The two systems are entirely separate. People held at this center are in Florida state prison custody and are not listed on the Miami-Dade Corrections inmate roster.

South Florida Reception Center Capacity and Population

The 2025 PREA audit for South Florida Reception Center reported a designated capacity of 2,204 and a 12-month average daily population of 1,344. The facility operates across 19 housing units. These figures are sourced directly from the 2025 SFRC PREA audit report published by the Florida Department of Corrections. Both the main unit at 14000 NW 41st Street and the South Unit at 13910 NW 41st Street are covered by the combined 2025 audit figure. A separate current population count for the South Unit alone was not identified in accessible official sources, so the 2025 total should not be divided between the two units without a clearer source.

At a 12-month ADP well below rated capacity, the facility was operating with a meaningful buffer as of the audit period. Reception centers typically see greater variation in population than permanent housing facilities because inmates move in from county jails and move out to permanent assignments on an ongoing basis. The ADP figure reflects the rolling nature of that intake-and-transfer cycle.

How to Look Up an Inmate at South Florida Reception Center

Inmates at South Florida Reception Center are in Florida Department of Corrections state custody. The correct tool is the FDC Corrections Offender Network, the statewide locator for sentenced state prisoners. The county jail roster run by Miami-Dade Corrections does not list FDC state inmates. The FDC database covers felony offenders sentenced to the Department of Corrections, including current and prior offenses. It does not include people sentenced to county jail, county probation, or other local supervision. Population information and photos are refreshed weekly, while release dates and location changes are updated nightly.

The image below shows the FDC Offender Search menu, the starting point for any FDC inmate lookup. From the menu you can reach the Inmate Population Information Search for active inmates, the Release Information Search, and other FDC databases.

Visit the FDC Corrections Offender Network menu to begin your search for a South Florida Reception Center inmate.

The FDC Offender Network menu separates active population searches from release searches and supervised population searches, so confirm you are using the Inmate Population Information Search when looking for someone who is currently incarcerated at South Florida Reception Center.

1. Open the FDC Offender Search menu and select "Inmate Population Information Search" or go directly to the active population search form.
2. Enter the DC Number (six-character FDC identifier, numeric or one alpha followed by five numeric) if known, or search by last name and first name using begins-with matching. Check "Search aliases?" to cast a wider net on name variations.
3. Review the results list and confirm the person's current facility shows South Florida Reception Center. Location data refreshes nightly.
4. Open the individual profile to view current and prior offenses, photograph if displayed, release date information, and current housing location.

If a person is not found in the active population search, also check the FDC Release Information Search, since the person may have completed classification and transferred to a permanent facility. Questions about population records can be directed to the FDC Bureau of Classification and Central Records at 850-488-9859 or central.classification@fdc.myflorida.com.

South Florida Reception Center Address and Contact

South Florida Reception Center operates two units within the same Doral area. The main unit and the South Unit each have a separate street address and phone number. Both are Florida Department of Corrections facilities. Staff at either unit can assist with general inquiries, but for inmate location and custody status, the FDC Offender Search is the primary tool. For victim-related notifications, VINE can be reached at 1-877-846-3435 at any hour.

For questions about an inmate's classification, transfer status, or release date, the FDC Bureau of Classification and Central Records handles population-record inquiries. The FDC central office is at 501 South Calhoun Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2500, phone 850-488-7052. Always confirm current information with the facility before traveling.

Visiting an Inmate at South Florida Reception Center

Visitation at South Florida Reception Center follows Florida Department of Corrections rules, which differ significantly from Miami-Dade county jail visitation. FDC requires that all visitors age 12 and older complete and submit a DC6-111A visitor application before any visit takes place. Walk-up visits without an approved application and a scheduled visit are not permitted under FDC policy. Applications may be mailed to the Classification department at South Florida Reception Center or sent to the facility's visitation email. Processing takes approximately 30 days, so families should plan well in advance.

Once a visitor is approved, visits must be scheduled through the FDC visitation scheduling form during a specific weekly window: from Monday at 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time to Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Scheduling outside that window is not accepted. Visitors should bring valid government-issued photo identification and follow all FDC dress-code and conduct requirements. Because South Florida Reception Center is a reception and classification facility, visitation availability may be affected by an inmate's classification status and time in the intake process.

Full FDC visitation rules and the DC6-111A application are published at the FDC visiting information page. Contact the facility directly at 305-592-9567 if you have questions about a specific inmate's visitation eligibility during the reception and classification period.

Mail, Phone, and Money at South Florida Reception Center

Mail and phone services at South Florida Reception Center follow FDC statewide rules rather than the Miami-Dade county jail rules that apply to MDCR facilities. Do not use the Miami-Dade Corrections PO Box in Tampa or the GTL/TouchPay/iCare channels for inmates at this FDC state facility. Those MDCR services are for county jail inmates only. For inmates in FDC custody, routine personal mail is handled through electronic scanning and delivery via a central FDC mail-processing facility, not by direct delivery to the prison address. Legal and privileged mail operates under a separate rule.

Legal mail carries additional requirements effective September 15, 2025. Mail from attorneys postmarked on or after that date must include the attorney's registration number and a legal-mail tracking number on the envelope. Mail that does not meet this requirement will be returned unopened. Attorneys should consult the FDC contact-an-inmate page for current legal-mail procedures before sending any privileged correspondence.

Full mail and money rules for FDC inmates are published at the FDC contact-an-inmate page. Confirm current mailing format and phone/money procedures with the facility or FDC directly before sending anything, as rules can change.

For victim notifications and custody-status alerts, VINE is available through FDC at 1-877-846-3435, which operates around the clock. FDC Victim Services can be reached at 1-877-884-2846 on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Reception and Classification at South Florida Reception Center

South Florida Reception Center does not process street arrests or county jail bookings. The term "booking" in the county jail sense, which involves fingerprinting, photographing, and entering charges after a street arrest, does not apply here. Instead, SFRC handles reception and classification, which is the process that follows after a court has already sentenced someone to a Florida state prison term.

After sentencing, a newly convicted defendant is transported from county jail to a reception center. At South Florida Reception Center, FDC staff conduct a comprehensive intake process that includes medical and psychological evaluation across grades one through five, review of the person's criminal history and court-ordered sentence, risk assessment, and educational and vocational screening. These steps result in a custody-level assignment and a determination of which permanent FDC facility best matches the person's security level and program needs. The individual may stay at South Florida Reception Center for a period of weeks while this process runs before transferring to a permanent institution.

Classification is an FDC term that refers to this formal intake-and-assignment process. It determines things like housing unit type, work assignment eligibility, and program placement for the duration of the sentence. The South Unit at SFRC has historically housed older inmates, primarily those age 59 and above, reflecting a specialized classification function within the same campus. Once a person leaves South Florida Reception Center for a permanent FDC facility, the FDC Offender Search will reflect the updated location, typically within a nightly refresh cycle.

Families of people who have recently been sentenced should be aware that location data may be delayed during the initial reception period. If the FDC search does not immediately show the person at South Florida Reception Center, check again after 24 to 48 hours or contact the FDC Bureau of Classification and Central Records at 850-488-9859.

South Florida Reception Center vs. Miami-Dade County Jail

The distinction between this facility and the nearby Miami-Dade county jail system matters for every lookup. Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, Metro West Detention Center, and Pre-Trial Detention Center are all Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department county facilities. People held there are generally awaiting trial or serving short sentences of up to 364 days. The correct search tool for MDCR county jail inmates is the MDCR Inmate Search at the county website.

South Florida Reception Center is an FDC state facility for people who have been sentenced to Florida state prison terms that exceed county jail jurisdiction. The NW 41st Street address places it close to some MDCR facilities in the same Doral corridor, which increases the chance of confusion. However, the two systems use different rosters, different visitation rules, different mail processes, different phone vendors, and different money-deposit channels. Checking the wrong system will simply return no result for the person you are searching.

Reception center

An FDC intake and classification facility that processes newly sentenced state prison inmates before assigning them to a permanent institution.

Classification

The FDC process of evaluating an inmate's medical, psychological, educational, and risk factors to determine security level and housing assignment.

Custody level

A formal rating, such as minimum, medium, close, or maximum security, that governs where and under what conditions a state prisoner is housed.

DC Number

The six-character Florida Department of Corrections identifier assigned to each state prisoner and used for all FDC database searches.

If someone was recently sentenced and you are unsure whether they have transferred from county jail to FDC custody, check both the MDCR inmate search and the FDC Offender Search. The county search covers the pre-transfer period, and the FDC search covers the person once they are in state custody.

About South Florida Reception Center

South Florida Reception Center has been part of the FDC system since the main unit was established in 1985 to house male inmates, according to the 2015 PREA report. The South Unit opened in 1991, later closed due to low utilization, and was reopened in August 2002. Since reopening, the South Unit has operated with a focus on elderly offenders. The facility is described in FDC materials as one of three male reception centers serving the state of Florida, making its location in Miami-Dade County significant for the large number of newly sentenced defendants processed through the Eleventh Judicial Circuit courts each year.

FDC published a 2025 PREA audit for South Florida Reception Center that confirms the facility's 19 housing units, the designated capacity of 2,204, and the 12-month ADP of 1,344. The FDC Facility Directory, available at the FDC Facility Directory page, lists official addresses and phone numbers for SFRC and other Miami-Dade state facilities including Dade Correctional Institution, Everglades Correctional Institution, Homestead Correctional Institution, and the Everglades Re-Entry Center.

Families seeking general information about how FDC manages sentenced inmates can review the FDC homepage at pubapps.fdc.myflorida.com. FDC describes itself as Florida's largest state agency and the third-largest state prison system in the country, employing nearly 24,000 members and incarcerating more than 80,000 inmates statewide.